Dreading fall sports registration? There are ways P.E.I. families can get help with the costs

With many young people on P.E.I. gearing up for the start of fall and winter sports, some organizations are finding ways to help families out with some of the costs. 

Charlottetown Ringette started a gear library, where players can borrow equipment to use and return it at the end of the season. 

Dianna Mallard, the organization's communications director, said the group applied for a community support grant from Ringette Canada to fund the project. She said players can put in an application to borrow gear from the library. 

"We would place more priority on lower-income families, first-time players and Black, Indigenous, people of colour," Mallard said. "We really want to increase access and diversity within our association."

Al MacIsaac, a past president of Hockey P.E.I., said the cost of gear and registration fees can add up fast. 

"Are there parents and kids staying away from the game because of cost? Absolutely. There's no question," he said. 

Ice rentals on P.E.I. now average about $175 an hour, more than double what they were a decade ago, MacIsaac said. 

"At that time we were paying a rate of $85 an hour. And right now [for] $85 an hour they wouldn't unlock the rink for you."

There are other ways for parents to save on costs, he said. Many kids have benefited from the equipment donation bin at the Bell Aliant Centre in Charlottetown. 

Mallard said the KidSport grant throughout Sport P.E.I. is something families involved in the ringette group have used.

"It's been a great benefit to keep our players in our association," she said. 

Freeze the fees 

A few years ago, Charlottetown Ringette froze registration fees. While the move impacted the group's bottom line, Mallard said the priority is keeping kids involved in the sport. 

"I think for most parents they see the benefits of activities for their kids and it outweighs the other stress that can be added on with the extra fees." 

Experts like Travis Saunders, an applied human sciences professor at UPEI, say playing organized sports is great for your physical and mental health. But other forms of activity can be just as valuable.

"I think we've done a really good job of promoting sport but we haven't always done a good job of promoting other forms of activity," said Saunders. 

"Playing outside with your family and friends, walking or biking to school, those types of things are just as good for your physical health as doing sport." 

Walking is always a great way to stay healthy, he said, while snowshoeing and cross-country skiing are less expensive winter options for exercise.